


Sweet Tea

by Fan_Insanity



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex isn't dead, Angst, Excuse to make Jefferson hurt, Happy Ending, M/M, More tags to be added, mentioned death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-24 12:38:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10741872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan_Insanity/pseuds/Fan_Insanity
Summary: "Really Thomas? You don't even like tea." Jefferson stood slowly, turning towards James. His eyes were sad as he spoke."You know why James." Madison set down the glass, ice clinking against the sides."You really should move on-" Jefferson's fists clenched at his sides."I'm fine!"Thomas is clinging to his past, refusing to let go of his last shred of happiness.When Alexander arrives and threatens Thomas's fragile life style, which way will the scales tip?





	1. Chapter 1

Thomas Jefferson was the king of the campus. He had no shortage of friends and his teachers loved him. And that was the way it should be. He had been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and had to come things to be handed him. As a result, he was constantly smiling, laughing since worries were at the back of his mind.

Then _She_ walked into his life. _She_ was smart and beautiful and the first thing in Jefferson's life that he'd ever work for. But for Her, Thomas was willing to do anything. And he did.  
He gave _Her_ everything.

Roses, claiming they couldn't match _Her_ beauty.

Chocolate, from the finest maker.

But only when they were studying did _She_ smile for him. So the gifts stopped. And Thomas studied. He read books that had been collecting dust in the back of the library. His grades improved and his teachers came to appreciate him both for his knowledge and his attitude. He actually found he needed glasses. And _She_ finally let him take her on a date. After that they became inseparable. It was unlikely to find them apart. And Thomas was happy. Happier than he could ever remember being.

But then it happened. The world fell out from under his feet. And _She_ was gone. Like that.

The changes were subtle at first. He went to the library instead of partying. His smile seemed stiff and forced.

But it soon got worse. He rarely left his room outside of classes. He spoke seldom to anyone other than James. People still knew who he was; his reputation outlasted him. But they no longer approached him on campus and those who did quickly learned.

 

Thomas clutched the glass close to his chest. Shuddering hands dumped the cool liquid down his throat, Jefferson swallowing it in large gulps. He winced at the flavor. But, it filled a place in his heart and he pushed through his distaste for it. He contemplated finishing the glass when a soft knock came from the door.

 

Thomas stood hurriedly, adjusting his shirt. He swung the door open and put on his best smile. He retained his sigh of relief when it was just Madison. James looked as nonchalant as ever but worry tinged his gaze.

"Are you ready, Thomas?" He nodded stiffly.

"Yeah just let me grab my stuff." Jefferson stepped back into his room, picking up his textbooks and shoving them into his bag hurriedly.  
James wandered in after him. He heard him sigh and Thomas froze not turning around to face him. 

"Really Thomas? You don't even like tea." Jefferson stood slowly, turning towards James. His eyes were sad as he spoke.

"You know why James." Madison set down the glass, ice clinking against the sides.

"You really should move on-" Jefferson's fists clenched at his sides 

"I'm fine!"

 

Madison stopped his protests but his worry lingered. Turning away from him, Jefferson left the small dorm room.

"Let's go."

 


	2. Control

Snow crunched under their feet, winter arriving sooner than it was supposed to. Freshmen could be seen slipping over the icy paths, books tumbling out of their hands. The older students had learned how to handle the snow, and merely laughed as their underclassmen went flying. Thomas, however, ignored them. He ignored everything in fact. Not even the biting winter chill registered in his mind. Only when he realized that James was talking to him did he snap out of his thoughts.  
"-new kid. Isn't that interesting?"  
"What's interesting?" James sighed.  
"Seriously Thomas? Did you hear a word I said?" He didn't respond. He didn't have to.  
"I was saying that a new student is arriving today." Thomas raised an eyebrow.  
"Students arrive every day. Why is this one special?" James gritted his teeth.  
"If you were listening you would have known. He's coming from the Caribbean, with a full scholarship, the support of Washington, and he's arriving as a junior."  
"Interesting..." Jefferson had to admit this new student was intriguing. He was just hoping that this kid wouldn't mess up what he had going. He had friends, good grades, and a girlf-  
Thomas stopped abruptly, James almost running into his back.

"You okay?" Jefferson swallowed, eyes shining in the pale winter light.  
"M' fine." They were almost there anyway. He just had to hold on until he could lock himself back up into his dorm.

Thomas walked into the room, fake smile ready for anyone who should approach him. People came up to him, people who he assumed were his friends, and Jefferson responded as naturally as possible. They didn't notice.  
Of course they didn't. Only when the teacher approached him, ( _Washington, thank God, the only bearable teacher_ ) did he think about what he was saying.

"Thomas, good to see you!" Jefferson's smile grew in what he hoped looked like agreement.  
"You too, sir."  
"How are you handling the cold?"  
"Fairly well sir."  
"That's good, son-" A loud thud interrupted him. The class turned to see a new kid sprawled out on the floor. Looked like he had fallen victim to the icy ground. Surprisingly to Thomas, Washington helped the kid up, both laughing amiably as if they new each other. The kid stood and Thomas got his first good look at him without him laying on his face. Reddish brown hair was tied loosely behind his head and his skin was a warm caramel, looking very different from the flushed skin of the pale New Yorkers. His cheeks were a ruddy red color from the cold. Black glasses sat on the edge of his nose, slightly lopsided.  
Washington addressed the class, smile still splitting his face in half.  
"This is our new student-"  
"Alexander Hamilton." The new kid cut him off. The class turned back to its conversations and somehow Thomas got himself roped into shaking hands with the new k- Hamilton.  
"Thomas Jefferson."  
"You already know my name."

Something about the self-assuredness in his smile irked Jefferson. Removing his hand abruptly, he turned on his heel and began heading towards his seat.  
"Pleasure to meet you, Thomas." He turned slowly, not even bothering to try and smile.

"The pleasure is all mine."

 

Thomas didn't hate the kid, he really didn't. But as soon as that kid opened his mouth, Thomas's distaste for him grew 10 fold. He spouted words like it was his job and Washington just nodded along to his rant. But, he wasn't going to bother debating this kid.

Ever since _It_ happened Thomas has never once spoken up in class. The weight of failure was hard pressed into his mind by his childhood and _It_ was just the tipping point. He might as well not have been there by he little spoke up. Still, he was a presence.  
People looked to him to see if laughed at a joke to make sure it was okay to laugh first. He held sway over the momentum of the class and with just a smile he could send the class into hysterics. But this kid was different. You could see his words swaying the class in his favor. Thomas clenched his fists but didn't say a word.

Now why would he be upset? He barely sees any of these people; why should he care if they worshipped at someone else's feet?

  
They were his lifeline. The single strand of the past that allowed him to forget _her_. He was in his element. It was _His_ class. _His_ friends. He held control over everything. Here, his life was completely under control. But it was quickly slipping through his fingers. With every word that came out Hamilton's mouth, control was yanked from his hands. He couldn't take it anymore.

Only when James tapped his arm did he realize that he had been furiously tapping his foot against the floor. Thomas took a deep breath, calming himself down. Still, Hamilton talked. _Did he ever shut up?_ Sighing, he stood from his chair and everyone's eyes turned to him. A smile flitted across his lips briefly at that. And finally, _finally_ , Hamilton stopped talking. Silence reigned over the class.

  
"Yes, Thomas?"  
"I'm not feeling well. Can I leave?" Washington waved a hand dismissively.  
"Of course Thomas. Someone will bring you your notes." Thomas plastered a grateful smile on his face and packed up his things. He walked out of the class, Hamilton's resumed rant following him like a disease.

He made it to his dorm and collapsed onto his bed. He wasn't lying about not feeling well. He felt jittery, hands scrambling for something to hold onto. They found a book, a worn one with a faded green color. Thomas ran his finger down the gold lettering on the spine, he knew the words well. He opened it and started from the beginning.

_"These are my hands,_   
_My knees.  
I may be skin and bone,_

_Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman._  
 _The first time it happened I was ten.  
It was an accident_.

_The second time I meant_  
 _To last it out and not come back at all.  
I rocked shut_.

_As a seashell._  
 _They had to call and call  
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls_.

_Dying_  
 _Is an art, like everything else.  
I do it exceptionally well_.

_I do it so it feels like hell._  
 _I_ _do_ _it_ _so_ _it_ _feels_ real.  
 _I_ _guess_ _you_ _could_ _say_ _I've_ _a_ _call_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus I had a serious case of writers block. But I'm back now and with an extra long chapter!! Comments are always appreciated!!!


	3. Thomas just wants to sleep

When Thomas had read the book through to the end his eyelids were sagging heavily and, blinking blearily at the darkness outside, he conceded to sleep, a voice in the back of his head reminding that he didn't have class tomorrow. Within seconds, or perhaps hours, a sharp series of knocks came from his door. Thomas groaned. Who in their right mind would be up at such an ungodly hour, much less knocking at someone's door? _It must be James_ , his mind helpfully supplied. _Some one was supposed to bring you your work_. As appealing it was to ignore the knocking and fall asleep, it wouldn't be fair to James. He rolled out of bed, realizing he was still in his clothes. He plucked his glasses off his nightstand, yawning as he placed them on his nose.

The knocking grew more insistent. Thomas groaned, what had gotten James's panties in a knot? He pulled open the door, expecting to see him but instead it was _him_.

_Hamilton_.

  
Thomas couldn't retain his sigh.   
     "Oh good, it's you." Despite the hour, Hamilton bounced on his heels and each word he said wasn't yet slurred together with sleep deprivation.

  
     "Yes it's me. Now if you wouldn't mind, can you please take your stuff? I have work to do." Hamilton extended a small stack of papers and Thomas took them. He raised an eyebrow at the last comment.

  
     "How much work could you possibly have on a Friday night?"   
     "Well if you must know I am taking double classes-" Thomas tried to catch what he was saying but his mind was swimming with a lack of sleep and he really just wanted to go to bed. He raised a hand, stopping Hamilton's words.

     "I don't actually care why you're wide awake in the middle of the night. Can I just go back to sleep like a normal person?" A flicker of hurt passed over Hamilton's face but you could practically see the light bulb appear over his head. He smirked as he walked away.

     "Sure, I'll be seeing you tomorrow anyway." Despite his sleep addled state, Thomas knew that that wasn't right. 

     "And why is that?" Hamilton stopped in the hallway. You could practically hear the smirk in his voice.  
     

     "Oh did I forget to mention? Washington assigned us as partners for a project." Before Thomas could protest, Hamilton had already disappeared into a dorm room.

He stepped back into his room, now more awake than he'd like to be. Skimming the papers Hamilton had given him, he found that he had indeed been assigned to work with the arrogant son-of-a-bitch. He ran his hand through his hair, stressed. Of course the class he decided to miss was the class where partners were chosen and he couldn't ask to work by himself.

He fell back onto his bed, the springs creaking underneath him. Sighing heavily, he closed his already heavy eyes. _Maybe I could ask to switch partners? But knowing Washington, that would prove impossible_ , he thought. As much as he wanted to create a solution that would keep Hamilton out of his life, a yawn escaped his mouth. Despite his wishes, he was dragged to sleep quickly, papers still dangling from his hand. Before his mind completely shut down, one coherent thought rose to the surface.

 

_I am royally fucked._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so you guys really wanted to see what happened next so here it is!! Comments are always welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you guys think!  
> My tumblr is tiny-toons


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